New York Times’ best-selling author Jessica Fellowes who wrote The World of Downton Abbey and the Mitford Murders series gives us her picks for the perfect travel companion.
01
Strangers on a Train by Patricia Highsmith


Highsmith is the undisputed master of the psychological thriller – it’s no surprise this was adapted into a film by Hitchcock. Two men meet on a train and decide that each will kill the other’s nemesis: with no motive, surely no one will suspect them?

Strangers on a train by Patricia Highsmith

02
Us by David Nicholls

Nicholls is a warm, humorous and excellent writer, particularly good on observations about relationships. This contemporary novel centres on a budget family vacation around Europe in the wake of a wife’s declaration that she is going to leave her husband.

Us by David Nicholls

03
The Cranford Chronicles by Elizabeth Gaskell

First appearing in 1851 as a series of stories for a magazine, Gaskell’s poignant novel is set in a small town in the north of England, its residents afraid of the migrants and breakdown in law and order that they believe the railway from Manchester will bring.

The Cranford Chronicles

04
Travels With My Aunt by Graham Greene

Henry Pulling and his septuagenarian aunt meet at his mother’s funeral, where she persuades him to abandon suburbia for a rackety adventure from Paris to Istanbul and Paraguay. A marvellous look at how the world was a century ago.

Travels with My Aunt by Graham Greene

05
The Mitford Murders by Jessica Fellowes

My debut novel and the first of six in a series opens with a real-life unsolved murder: that of Florence Nightingale Shore, a war nurse, who was left for dead on a train between Victoria and Hastings in January 1920.

Mitford Murders by Jessica Fellowes


Fellowes' latest novel The Mitford Scandal features scandalous affairs, political upheaval and murder. Available 26 September 2019.

Suggested Itineraries

A Family Adventure in Jordan

Jordan Petra, Wadi Rum & Dana Nature Reserve

  • Visit magnificent Petra and give the kids a history lesson in archaeology, history and exploration
  • Go on a family camel ride and let the kids scramble over the unique rock formations in the Wadi Rum
  • Slather yourself with mud and go for a float in the Dead Sea before enjoying the multiple hotel pools
ideal length 8 nights

Oman Cultural Tour

Muscat & the East Coast Nizwa & the Empty Quarter Oman Middle East & North Africa

  • Visit the buzzing town of Muscat
  • Drive through the imposing Hajar Mountains
  • Explore Wahiba Sands and its wildlife
  • Visit the picturesque fishing town of Sur
  • Spend a night under the stars in a luxury Bedouin encampment
ideal length 7 nights

VIP London

England United Kingdom Europe

  • Visit Floris, the only appointed Perfumer to Her Majesty the Queen
  • Visit Asprey, the iconic British brand and jeweller to the Royal family
  • Experience a private dinner hosted by Lord and Lady Mountbatten at Alain Ducasse (honoured with three Michelin stars)
  • Explore London’s spectacular sights with a guide, including The Tower of London
ideal length 4 nights
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